Tuesday, July 18, 2017

The Geneva Grand Prix 2017 has come to a close not long ago, with Teimour Radjabov scoring his first tournament victory in nearly 10 years. Today, we will look at one of the highlights of the tournament: Rising Indian GM Pentala Harikrishna, outplayed veteran GM Levon Aronian after a few inaccuracies from the latter.

Aronian (left) vs Harikrishna, Geneva Grand Prix 2017

The game, which took the form of a reverse Sicilian, was equal until Aronian (as White) decided to try and win a pawn... unknowingly giving Harikrishna a huge positional advantage. This allowed the Indian to centralize his pieces, and suddenly Black's knight was wrecking havoc in the kingside.

The position resembles what is called a Reverse Sicilian: Instead of White, Black is the one who is preparing for a kingside advance.

11. a3

While White counterattacks on the other wing.

11... Kh8 12. b4 a613. Re1 Qe8 (D)

Position after 13... Qe8

Preparing ... Qg6 letting the queen join in the subsequent attack.

14. Qd2 Bd615. Bxb6

Aronian must have sensed the impending danger to his kingside, and decides to liquidate some of his opponent's firepower, and damage the enemy pawn structure at the same time.

15... cxb616. d4 exd417. Nxd4 Rd818. Nxe6 Qxe619. Qa2

So far White has succeeded in trading off most of the pieces. If he can exchange into the endgame, he will have the advantage due to his better pawn structure.

19... Qh6

Obviously, Harikrishna doesn't want any of that! He rejects the trade and continues with the kingside attack.

20. f4

Restraining Black's dark-squared bishop, and preventing any unwanted opening of the f-file.

20... a5 (D)

Position after 20... a5

21. b5?

This looks like a winning move, pinning the knight to the hanging b7 pawn. But it gives Harikrishna a huge positional gift: Previously, his dark-squared bishop was staring into a wall of pawns on both wings, but with this pawn advance his bishop now has access to the queenside. After something like ... Bc5 this also opens the file for his rook. Simply put, a seemingly harmless pawn move has allowed Black to greatly improve the position of his pieces!

Aronian was probably worried that after 21. bxa5 bxa5 any advantage that he might have in the endgame would be lost, since Black undoubles his pawns. But he might have seen that 21. Nb5! solves his problems as well; in fact, it helps to push the battle further into the endgame after 21... axb4 22. Nxd6 Qxd6 23. axb4 Qxb4 24. Qb1! After which one of Black's queenside pawns will fall. The resultant endgame is about equal.

21... Bc5+22. e3? (D)

Position after 22. e3

Allowing a neat tactic that activates Black's knight. But even after 22. Kh1 Bf2 23. bxc6 Bxg3 24. h3 bxc6 25. Red1 Bxf4 Black has 3 pawns for a piece, but his queen-bishop duo are generating huge problems on the kingside.

22... Ne5!

Threatening a fork on d3 as well as Ng4 piling pressure on the kingside.

23. Rcd1

Black cannot capture: 23. fxe5? Bxe3+ loses the rooks.

23... Ng424. h3 Nxe3

The potential discovered attack is threatening. But even deadlier is 24... Bxe3+! 25. Kf1 Nh2+ 26. Ke2 Bxf4 driving White's king into the centre. Black now threatens moves like ... Re8 or ... Qxf4 after the exchange.

25. Rxd8

White trades to the best of his ability to slow down the attack. But it isn't enough.

Sunday, July 2, 2017

For today's article, we will look at one of my friendly games that I played some time ago at the weekly Singapore Chess Meetup. Organized every Wednesday evening (6.30pm to 9.30pm) at Asia Square Tower 1, the Singapore Chess Meetup involves several players of varying strengths pitting their skills against each other in friendly games. A very good place to train and make new friends!

I found this game particularly instructive in the art of play against the bishop pair. Normally, we are taught that the two bishops are a powerful weapon in an open game. But in a closed position, their long-range advantage is restricted, as we had seen in my earlier Bishop Pair article series.

With the h-file opened, I began to consider a kingside attack. But on hindsight it was not a very good plan: Only two of my pieces-- the queen and kingside rook-- were operational on that wing, while the other pieces needed some disentangling before they could be safely developed. But a bad plan is better than no plan, so the rook lift spelled the opening shots of the attack.

14. h3 followed by g4 was considered, but opening up my kingside for Black's light-squared bishop and queen (e.g. a possible ... Qh4) wasn't something which I desired.

14... Nxd2?

Alas, my opponent helps me with what was otherwise a poor attack. Why give up a good knight for a bad bishop, at the same time allowing me to develop my b1 knight for free?

14... Be6 developing normally was perfectly fine: 15. Rh3+ Kg8 16. Qf3 c6 followed by Bd5 taking over the centre. White still has to spend tempo bringing his dark-squared bishop to h4 before he can develop the b1 knight.

15. Nxd2 Be616. Rh3+ Kg817. Qf3 e4

Grabbing space and defending b7, but it closes the centre, which isn't very favourable to Black's bishop pair. Again,} 17... c6 followed by ... Bd5 could have been considered.

18. Qg3 Qf619. Rh4 Kf8

Despite the open h-file, there isn't a clear way for White to break through on the kingside: Al the invasion squares along the h-file have been covered! Moreover Black's king has smelt the danger and is preparing to evacuate the area.

20. Qf2

I decided to try another form of attack: Push h3 and g4 to open up the f-file, before bringing in the other rook with Rf1.

20. Qh3 If White persisted along the h-file, the result would have been something like 20... g5 21. Rh7 g4 22. Qh5 Bf7 23. Qg5 Nd7 Black solidifies the position, and the h7 rook is in danger of becoming trapped.

20... Nd721. Kf1

Since pushing the pawns exposes the White king, it had to be brought to safer waters as well.

21... Ke722. Ke2 Rh8! (D)

Position after 22... Rh8

Black has managed to extricate his king and bring out the rest of his pieces into the defence.

23. Rxh8

Effectively admitting that White's kingside attack has failed. Now both sides face a tough endgame ahead.

Let's take a look at the position. White has a rook and extra pawn in exchange for Black's two bishops. In an open game the bishop pair would normally be advantageous, but in a closed position like this their strength is neutralized. Moreover, White still has the open h-file to play with: He has ideas like Rh1-Rh7 invading the seventh rank or Rh6 attacking the weak g6 pawn.

Additionally, I can also consider Rg1 followed by pushing g4 to be a viable plan, since exchanging on f5 leaves Black with another weak f5 pawn that White's rook can target.

30. Kc2 a5

Since the kingside is locked up, Black tries to open up on the other wing, hoping to get some space for his two bishops.

31. b3 Bd5

31... Bd3+ might have been better: The bishop cannot be chased away without great cost to White.

32. Rg1

Preparing to advance g4.

32. Rh1 was considered, but after 32... Bg7 33. Rh7 Kf8 followed by Bg8, Black's bishop pair covers the invasion squares and White must retreat.

32... b533. g4 c5?!

More accurate was 33... fxg4 34. Rxg4 Be6 35. Rh4 Bg7 where Black has managed to open some diagonals for his light-squared bishop. White has no quick breakthrough, for example 36. Rh7 Bg8 37. Rh1 planning Rf1 followed by g5, but Black simply repeats with 37... Be6 38. Rh7 Bg8 practically forcing a perpetual, with neither side giving way.

34. gxf5 gxf535. g6 (D)

Position after 35. g6

Now White has a passed pawn, and a target to attack on f5.

35...Bg736. Rg5 Kf637. Kb1 c438. Kb2 cxb339. axb3 a440. bxa4 bxa4

Black gets his own passed pawn, but White's king is there to stop it.

41. Ka3 Bb342. c4

The threat is to advance c5 creating a second passed pawn.

42... Bf843. Rg1 d5+44. c5

It is important to keep the position closed when your enemy has the bishop pair!

44... Kg745. Rg5 Kf646. Kb2

Stepping out of the a3-f8 diagonal pin.

46...Bh647. c6 Bc4

47... Bxg5? 48. c7 Nothing can stop White from making a new queen.

48. Rg1 Ba6

48... Bb5 49. c7 Bd7 was better, after something like 50. Ka3 Bf8+ 51. Kb2 Bc8 Black is surprisingly holding out well against both passed pawns.

49. Ka3 Bc8?

Dropping the a4 pawn, Black's main source of counterplay, for nothing. Again, Black could have opted for 49... Bb5 50. c7 Bd7 51. Rc1 Bf8+ 52. Kb2 Bc8 53. Rg1 with the same fortress Black erected in the previous variation.

50. Kxa4 Bf851. Rb1 Ke752. Rb8

Now, the pressure from both passed pawns become too much for Black's bishops to handle. All White needs to do is to bring his king into the battle, and the game is effectively over from this point onwards.

When your enemy has the bishop pair, try to keep the game closed to neutralize their advantage.

A bad plan is better than no plan.

Learn the principle of two weaknesses: In this game, Black could hold out with one enemy passed pawn on the kingside, but when White created a second one on the queenside, Black's defences swiftly collapsed.

Sources:"Closing the Gates at Hougoumont, 1815", 1903, Robert Gibb, http://waterloo200.org/200-object/closing-the-gates-at-hougoumont-1815/

Contributors

"Remember that chess is more than just a competitive game. Its history is full of pain and triumph, and the writings and games of the great masters can both inspire the students to new heights, and leave one in awe at the depth of artistic beauty they've created"

-- IM Jeremy Silman

P.S. This blog is designed for players around my standard (FIDE-unrated amateurs) so don't expect too much from it